World Religions › Medieval › Vishnu and his avatars, Rama and Krishna
Angkor Wat
c. 1113–1150· Holy place· Hindu, Buddhist, Jain & Sikh
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
The world's largest religious monument, built in Cambodia by the Khmer king Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu.
See it on the World Religions map →What it is
Built about 1113–1150 at the Khmer capital Angkor, the temple covers about 162 hectares (400 acres) inside a wide moat. Its five towers represent Mount Meru, the mountain at the center of the Hindu cosmos. Carved reliefs nearly 800 meters long show the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Unusually, it faces west, the direction linked with death. Between the late 1200s and 1500s it became a Theravada Buddhist temple, and monks never fully left.
Why it matters
It shows how Indian religions spread across Southeast Asia and how one sacred site can pass between faiths. It is Cambodia's national symbol and appears on its flag.
Sources and history
Khmer inscriptions, the temple's own reliefs, Zhou Daguan's eyewitness account of Angkor (1296–97), and modern lidar surveys revealing a vast surrounding city. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992.
Questions and debates
Why it faces west, and whether it was built as Suryavarman II's tomb, are debated; so is why the Angkor capital declined in the 1400s.
Connections (2)
▸Angkor Wat was built to honor Vishnu and his avatars, Rama and KrishnaHistorical record
The connection
Suryavarman II dedicated Angkor Wat to Vishnu, unusual for Khmer kings, who had mostly favored Shiva. Its reliefs show Vishnu's avatars Rama and Krishna and the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, which Vishnu oversees. The king's posthumous name, Paramavishnuloka ('gone to Vishnu's highest world'), suggests he was identified with the god after death.
When and where
Angkor, Cambodia, c. 1113–1150, under Suryavarman II, ruler of the Khmer Empire.
Historical evidence
The temple's reliefs and inscriptions, a large Vishnu statue thought to come from its central shrine, and the king's posthumous name.
Questions and debates
Whether the temple was also Suryavarman's tomb, and exactly how Khmer kings identified themselves with gods, remain debated.
▸Angkor Wat later became a temple of Theravada BuddhismHistorical record
The connection
As the Khmer Empire weakened and Theravada Buddhism spread from Sri Lanka and Burma across mainland Southeast Asia in the 1200s–1400s, Angkor Wat was turned into a Buddhist temple. Buddha images were added to its galleries, and monks stayed on, so it was never fully abandoned. Cambodia today is about 97% Theravada Buddhist.
When and where
Angkor, Cambodia, from the late 1200s; Khmer kings and Theravada monks. A Japanese visitor's 1632 inscription records it as a Buddhist pilgrimage site.
Historical evidence
Zhou Daguan's 1296 account of Theravada monks at Angkor; later Khmer Buddhist inscriptions in the temple; added Buddha statues; and the 1632 Japanese inscription.
Questions and debates
Exactly when and why the Khmer shifted to Theravada Buddhism, and whether it was a royal decision or a popular change, is still debated.